Etymology 16: Eclipse (n.)

Eclipse comes from the late 13 century. The Latin word, "eclipsis," and the Greek word "ekleipsis" are both predecessors to the English word. The word indicates, "a leaving out, or forsaking." Another Greek word, "ekleipein," meaning "to forsake a usual place, or to fail to appear," digs back even further into the words roots. This word comes from ek "out" + leipein "to leave."